After all of the drama in New York this year, will Sanchez be able to step into that locker room and assert his leadership? Is he capable of being a franchise quarterback in the first place? And can he and Holmes repair what apparently became a contentious relationship?

Because here is the thing—nobody will question Manning's leadership in any locker room in the NFL. If Holmes has a complaint with Manning, I'm sure he'll be told in no uncertain terms where he can stick that complain and to shut up and do his job.

And the Jets are a team Manning could bring to prominence. He'd likely prefer an upgrade or two at the skill positions on the Jets, but in Dustin Keller and a cooperative Holmes he would have a nice start. And he'd have a defense in place that was better than most of the Colts defenses over the years.

If there was an offseason where the Jets could still get value for Sanchez in a trade, it would be this one. Sanchez is still young, and I believe Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks would have a great deal of interest in Sanchez if he was put on the trade block.

The Jets need to do their due diligence on Manning. If they can bring in a healthy Manning to lead their team and find a trading partner willing to give them back good value for Sanchez, they need to take their chances and make a move.

Because otherwise, they'll risk going into next season with a team and locker room that is anything but stable.